(Yicai) Nov. 27 -- A diabetes medication developed by Tonghua Dongbao Pharmaceutical and jointly promoted by the Chinese drugmaker and its partner Sinovac Biotech has received regulatory approval for marketing in Peru.

The Dirección General de Medicamentos, Insumos y Drogas recently approved Liraglutide injection, a glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist used to control blood sugar levels in patients with type 2 diabetes, for sales in Peru, Tonghua Dongbao announced on Nov. 25. It can be used alone or in combination with other diabetes medications.

Independently developed by Tonghua Dongbao, Liraglutide injection was granted a drug registration certificate by China’s National Medical Products Administration in December 2023, making it the second Chinese drugmaker to obtain approval for this type of medication.

Tonghua Dongbao spent over 10 years developing this drug, with a total research and development investment of about CNY240 million (USD33.9 million).

‌In December 2022, Tonghua Dongbao and Chinese vaccine giant Sinovac agreed to jointly promote Liraglutide injection overseas. The deal granted Sinovac the rights to commercialize the drug in 17 emerging markets.

In February, Liraglutide injection underwent an on-site good manufacturing practice audit by the Egyptian Ministry of Health. In April, it received a GMP certificate from Colombia's Instituto Nacional de Vigilancia de Medicamentos y Alimentos. This month, it underwent an on-site GMP audit by Brazil's Health Regulatory Agency.

Editor: Futura Costaglione